Carl Crawford appeared in only 31 games in 2012 and battled elbow inflammation this spring, so the Dodgers are treating him with extra care early on.

According to beat writer Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times, the outfielder is on the bench for the Dodgers’ second regular-season game Tuesday night against the rival Giants. Jerry Hairston Jr. will start in left field and bat out of the leadoff spot vs. San Francisco left-hander Madison Bumgarner.

Crawford went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in the Dodgers’ season-opening victory Monday over the Giants. But right-hander Matt Cain started that game. Crawford owns an .811 career OPS against righties and a .688 career OPS against southpaws.